Rotary engine.



Wstnesses PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905. J. CLARK. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIGATIOH I'ILBD JULY 80. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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H V Inventor Httomegs PATBNTED AUG. 8, 1905.

3. CLARK. ROTARY ENGINE.

Agrmonxox rum) JULY 30.1904.

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H tliomeg s wys No. 796,704. PATBNTED AUG. 8, 1905.

J. CLARK. ROTARY ENGINE.

JAMES CLARK, OF MEDINA, NEW YORK.

ROTARY Enema.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed July 30, 1904. Serial No. 215L399.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medina, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines of the turbine class, and has for its principal ob: ject to provide an engine in which an elastic fluid, such as steam, air, or gas, maybe utilized to the best advantage and allowed to gradually expand as it nears the completion of its work, a further and important object being to provide in a single engine for the counterbalancing of the end thrust usual in engines of the turbine type.

A further object of the invention is to provide a turbine-engine of simple and economical construction and in which all of the parts may be readily removed and repiaced when necessary.

A still further ohject of the invention is to prevent or to minimize the passage of steam through the engine without utilizing its force for propulsion of said engine.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, 't being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or saJcrific-.. 111g any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the same. Fig, 3 is a detail perspective view of the parts of the principal partition detached. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the blades detached. Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the relative positions of the blades.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures'of the drawings.

The cylinder 1 is preferably formed of a single casting and is provided with two remov able heads 2 and 3, eachof which has an opening forthe passage of a main shaft 4 The opening at the head 2 is closed by a suitable gland-nut 5, and at the oppositeend the shaft is supported by a plurality of tapered bars 6, which may be adjusted endwise by a glandnut 'i' in order to compensate for wear in adjusting or centering the shaft. The cylinder is provided with amain steam-inlet 8, and from the head 2 leads an exhaust-pipe 9. At a point within the cylinder and in transverse alinernent with the port 8 are two partitions 10 and 11, both of which may be cast from the same pattern and each of which has a peripheral fiange12,which fits snugly within the cylinder. On the inner faces of the two partitions are ribs 13, which abut and divide the space between the partitions into steam-chambers 14 and 15, the chamber 14 being in communication with the inlet-port 8, while the chamber 15 is in communication with a stearn'port 16, formed in the wall of the cylinder and leading from that end of the cylinder ciosed by the head 3.

Between the partition 10 and the head 30f the cylinder is arranged a pair of partitions 17 and 18, the partition 1? having a peripheral flange 19, which abuts against the flange 12 of the partition 10, and the outer portion of the partition 18 abuts against and is held in place by an inwardly-extending flange or annular rib 20, formed on the inner face of the cylinder-head 3. These two partitions 17 and 18 are provided with a passage 21, through which steam may pass in the direction of the head 3.

In the cylinder, at a pointbetween the partition 11 and the head 2, are arranged a number of partitions 21, 22, 23, and 24, all of which are provided with peripheral flanges and the flanges abutting in continuous series, while the flange of the end partition'24 is held in plate by a flange or annular rib 25, projecting from the inner face of the head 2. It will be seen that the flanges, with their partitions, form a practically continuous structure from end to end of the cylinder and that all of the parts are so arranged that the partitions may beconfined in place by the two cylinder'heads.

The partitions 21 and 22 have a central steampassage 26,-and the partitions 23 and 24 have a similar passage 27. On that portion of the main shaft 4 which extends through the partitions l0 and 11 is an enlarged collar 29, that is surrounded by a. suitable packing ring 30, held in annular recesses formed in the two partitions and serving to prevent leakage of steamaround the shaftor from side to side of the partitions. 1 G

On the shaft 4 is arranged a series of revoluble disks 30, 31, 32, 33, 3*}, 35, 36, and 37,,

all of which have hubmembers abutting in continuous series together with the collar 29 to form a practically continuous hub from end to end of the cylinder, and these partitions may also be held in place by the removable cylinder-heads, and they may be keyed, feathered,orotherwise secured to the shaft. Each of the disks carries a number of annular rows of vanes 40, fitting between similar annular rows of vanes 41, carried by the adjacent stationary partitions, the shape of such vanes being approximately concavo-convex in cross-section. The engine is thus provided with a series of cylinders 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and '49, and the course of the steam may be traced from the main inlet 8 in chamber 14 through port 50 in partition 11 to cylinder 42, cylinder 43, passage 21, cylinder 44. passage 52, between the disk 32 and the head 3 of the cylinder, port 16, chamber 15, port 53, cylinder 45, cylinder 46, passage 26, cylinder 47 cylinder 48, passage 27, cylinder 49, and exhaust-port 9, a portion of the steam escaping also between the end disk 37 and the head 2 and thence into the escape-port. On this series of cylinders the cross-sectional areas of the cylinders 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46 are arranged to use the pressure of the steam direct without expansion, the cross-sectional areas of the cylinders being less at their outer edges than at their center in order that the area may he the same or approximately the same for the gradually-increasing distances from the center of the port. In the cylinder 47 the opposing walls of the stationary partition 22 and .revoluble disk 35 are parallel, so that the area at the periphery of the cylinder is greater than at the center, and the steam is allowed to expand. In the same manner the angle of the partition 23 is such that the area of the inner portionof the cylinder 48 will be greater than its outer portion, and the steam entering from the periphery and moving toward the center of the cylinder is also allowed to gradually expand, and in corresponding manner the steam will further expand as it passes the vanes in the cylinder port 9 on its way to the exhaust. By following up the location of the several cylinders it will be seen that the end thrust common to engines of this class is practically neutralized. Pressure on the disk 30 toward the right will be practically counterbalanced by the similar pressure on the disk 33 toward the left. The equal areas of the disks 31 and 32 opposed to each other will-avoid any end thrust in any direction on the shaft, and this may also be said of the opposing vanes of the disks 34and 35 and of the disks 36 and 37 There will be end thrust to the left on the disk 32; but this will be practically counterbalanced by similar and thrust to the right on the disk 37, so that the engine will be perfectly balanced and the friction considerably reduced.

In an engine of this class the free ends of e vanes are usually placed as close as practicable to the adjacent walls of the member carrying the opposing vanes. Generally this will be about one-sixteenth of an inch, and there is danger of constant leakage of steam through these many passages. To avoid this, the shanks of all of the vanes 40 and 41 are made rectangular, as indicated at 55, and these rectangular shanks extend to a point beyond the space referred to, so that little or no steam can pass the ends of the vanes. and the direct pressure and expansive force of the steam will thus be more fully utilized.

It will of course be understood that while steam has been referred to as the actuating medium, the engine may be driven by compressed air, gas, or other elastic fluid.

Having thus describedtthe invention, what is claimed is- 1. In a turbine-engine, a plurality of sets of vane-carrying disks, stationary vane-carrying partitions arranged in sets to counterbalance end thrust on the shaft, and a ported partition dividing the cylinder into two main compartments, each containing a portion of the disks and vane-carrying partitions.

2. In a turbine-engine, a cylinder having a steam inlet and an exhaust port, a ported partition dividing such cylinder into two compartments of unequal volume, vane-carrying disks and partitions of unequal number, those of the smaller compartment utilizing the direct pressure of the steam, and those of the larger compartment being driven in part by the expansive force of the steam.

3. In a turbine-engine, a cylinder havinga steam inlet and exhaust port, a ported partition arranged opposite the steam-inlet and dividing the cylinder into two compartments of unequal volume, revoluble and stationary vane-carrying members of unequal number disposed in the respective compartments, a port for directing the steam-pressure from the partition to the smaller compartment, a port or passage through which the steam passes from such smaller compartment to the partition, said steam being thence directed into the larger compartment, and finally escaping from the exhaust end of the compartment.

4. In a turbine-engine, a cylinder having steam inlet and exhaust ports, atransverselydisposed ported partition dividing such cylinder into two compartments of unequal volume, stationary vane-carrying partitions in said compartments and dividing each into a series of cylinders, a vane-carrying disk in each cylinder, passages through which the steam flows from the center to the periphery of one cylinder, and from the periphery to the center of the next cylinder, and means for conveying the steam from the smaller compartmentto the larger compartment.

- 5. In a turbine-engine, a cylinder, a transverse partition formed of a pair of similar members having abutting ribs on their inner faces and dividing the space between them into I any and revoluble vane-carrying members dintwo compartments, a main steam-passage in 1 posed within said cylinder. communication with one compartment, 9. port In testimony that claim the foregoing as ieacling from said compartment to one side of l my own I have hereto alfixerl my signature in the partition, a retnrn-portleadiug from one the presence of two witnesses.

end tothe cylinder of the second compartment, JA H ES (ILA Rli. a port leading from said second compartment Witnesses:

to the opposite side of the partitiomen ex- 1 J. P. SCHUYLER, haust-port, and a plurality of sets of station- MORGAN L. BRAINARI). 

